"We are pleased to have reached the 275 store milestone, while also achieving our goal of opening 15 new stores in 2002," said Steven G. Miller, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We will continue to expand our business with the addition of new stores by following our successful strategy of controlled growth. Our current plans call for the opening of between 15 and 20 stores in 2003."
About Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation
Big 5 is the leading sporting goods retailer in the western United States, operating 275 stores in 10 states under the "Big 5 Sporting Goods" name. Big 5 provides a full-line product offering of over 25,000 stock keeping units in a traditional sporting goods store format that averages 11,000 square feet. Big 5's product mix includes athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, as well as a broad selection of outdoor and athletic equipment for team sports, fitness, camping, hunting, fishing, tennis, golf, snowboarding and in-line skating.
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release are forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause Big 5's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the competitive environment in the sporting goods industry in general and in Big 5's specific market areas, inflation, product availability and growth opportunities, seasonal fluctuations, changes in costs of goods and economic conditions in general. Those and other risks are more fully described in Big 5's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the registration statement on Form S-1 originally filed on August 21, 2001. Big 5 disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments.